


animalis autem invitata

by Suguru_Slut



Series: Bokuaka Oneshots! [16]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Character Study, College, Creepy, Criminal Justice, Crushes, Developing Friendships, Exams, Flirting, Graphic Description of Corpses, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Immortality, Implied Sexual Content, Incubus Akaashi, Interviews, Kidnapping, Killing, M/M, Missing Persons, Murder Mystery, Mystery Stories, Psychological Torture, Psychology, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Research, Serial Killers, Sex Magic, Sexual Fantasy, Stalking, Studying, Succubi & Incubi, Survival Horror, Tragic Romance, Tricksters, Tutoring, Unsolved Murders, Writing papers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:09:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26995702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suguru_Slut/pseuds/Suguru_Slut
Summary: "Man…it just makes you wonder if they were lured out or something," Bokuto shook his head."Mm...Animalis autem invitata.”"Huh?"Keiji's lips turned upwards, somewhere between a smile and a snarl."The lure of the animal.”Akaashi Keiji offers to tutor a cute classmate who needs help with his research project on the missing college students who vanished under eerie circumstances. While investigating a secret room, the horrifying fates of those students are revealed...
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Bokuaka Oneshots! [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/814326
Comments: 14
Kudos: 64





	animalis autem invitata

**Author's Note:**

> animalis autem inviata : Latin  
> "the lure of the animal"

The signs of late fall were everywhere; in the golden, orange and maroon leaves fallen from every bare tree on campus, pushed into dying grass below by muddy brown boots as students hurried to their next class, bundled in wool scarves and double-breasted jackets to shield from the crisp wind. Akaashi found this time of year peaceful, forgetting the daunting signals that cruel winter was soon upon them and just enjoying the earthy scents, marvelous colors and soft socks covering his toes—not that how many layers he wore really mattered. Keiji was always hot.

There were many other undergraduates crawling around when Akaashi entered the library (since it was nearly exam season), but their faces became invisible to him as he located the fidgety, yellow-eyed student seated at a long oak table near the back of the room. He was eagerly searching the area with anticipation, glancing at the clock before realizing a dark-haired student was making his way near; Keiji already knew his name, that he was a student of criminology, minoring in psychology, and that he desperately needed a tutor to help with an important research paper due before winter break. He also knew that research paper’s topic endangered his current _game_.

Akaashi overheard many students speak of Bokuto’s good-looks, but their immature descriptions didn’t nearly do him justice. His eyes were wide, alert, a bold yellow hue Keiji never had the pleasure of meeting before—beneath the blue jacket, grey crewneck sweater and dark jeans, Akaashi was sure there were masses of thick muscle just waiting to be used, tempted for darker deeds. He was studying to be a detective, apparently, and so kept himself fit. Bokuto rose to his feet when Keiji approached, and although he stood a few inches taller, his demeanor was inviting rather than intimidating.

 _Perfect_.

“Hey! Are you the tutor?”

“I am. Akaashi Keiji—pleasure to meet you.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you, too!” Bokuto seemed to really mean it, smiling widely and motioning to the open chair across from his own. “Please, sit!”

They both sat down, but Keiji noticed how Koutarou’s gaze never left his figure, drawn to those dark eyelashes hiding a pair of stunning midnight blue eyes, the kind that sucked you in from the very beginning; how had Koutarou never seen him on campus before? He would have remembered passing Akaashi in the hall, or running into him after class. There was no denying his tutor was beautiful, a classical kind of beautiful, what with his long, elegant legs, thin neck, sharp jawline and pale lips—Bokuto just hoped he could focus long enough to actually get his assignment done in time between periods of ogling and flirting with Akaashi.

“I didn’t catch your name,” The tutor prompted. Of course, Akaashi already knew his name, but he wanted to hear those syllables from its intriguing owner.

“Oh, sorry! I’m Bokuto!” He smiled brightly. “Bokuto Koutarou.”

Keiji was a bit surprised by the offer of a handshake, but he readily accepted, pleased by the equal warmth of Bokuto’s flesh, the strength in his tight grip that mirrored Akaashi’s own.

“Koutarou…that’s a lovely name,” Keiji hummed, reluctantly releasing his hold.

“T-Thanks,” Bokuto blushed darkly, unknowingly pleasing the tutor even more with his modesty. That was a difficult trait to find these days, in Akaashi’s current type of…friends. “So, uh—my research paper. You can help me with it?”

“Of course. Why don’t you start by telling me about the subject?”

“Oh, right, right! Well, since I’m in criminology, my teacher wants us to write a report about unsolved crimes in the area. We’re pretty much supposed to do some investigating and then explain the most plausible theory as to what happened.”

“Hmm…interesting,” Akaashi nodded slowly. He already knew what Bokuto’s report was on, but that was all part of the game—it was fascinating, watching humans try to solve crimes with what little knowledge they had on the world.

“Yeah! Um…what—what do you study, again, Akaashi-san?” Koutarou asked meekly.

“I’m double-majoring in Comparative Religion and Latin.”

“Woah…that must be super interesting! I didn’t even know our school _had_ those classes.”

“They’re very, how should I say… _old school_ ,” Keiji smiled. “I love ancient history and all its mystical ways, so I suppose it’s a good fit for my personality.”

“I think that’s super cool!” Bokuto encouraged, eyes glowing with excitement. “You must be really studious, huh?”

“I am. Speaking of which, we should start with your report—tell me all about the unsolved crime you chose.”

Koutarou dove into the study he had been roughly putting together for the past few days, basing his report around the unsolved missing persons cases that had been haunting their city for the last three years. Other students in his class picked simple murder cases or strange disappearances, but Bokuto had been mystified by the fact that _six_ students from their own campus had vanished, seemingly out of thin air. The news had been covering it loyally since the beginning, and Koutarou was hoping that he could get a head-start on this case so that when he became a detective, it would be the first unsolved case he solved.

For forty-minutes, Akaashi listened with the upmost attention as Koutarou lost himself in the known details about the case, from the dates of the student’s disappearances to the outfits they were last seen wearing. The current police force had no leads, no evidence or tips that could aid the search for the missing young adults. Since their genders were mixed, Bokuto didn’t believe a predator or underground organization had kidnapped them. In fact, he was certain whoever was responsible for these vanishings had to live inside the community, given that was the last place they were spotted, and no student would just take off with a random stranger. Even if they had, Koutarou didn’t think it likely that they had left the area willingly.

“All six students were smart about letting their friends know where they were and what they were doing—they were all single, three boys and three girls, so that throws gender preference out the window. It’s really agonizing to think about, Akaashee!”

“It is strange that not one person has even the _slightest_ idea what could have become of their friends. These days the campus is never vacant, nor are the streets of apartments a few blocks down.”

"I know, right?! So how could they just vanish without a trace? Man…it just makes you wonder if they were lured out or something," Bokuto shook his head.

"Mm... _Animalis autem invitata_.”

"Huh?"

Keiji's lips turned upwards, somewhere between a smile and a snarl.

" _The lure of the animal_.”

Koutarou seemed hypnotized by this phrase, staring at Akaashi for a long moment after; the best theory the working detectives had at the moment was that the students had each been taken advantage of by someone they trusted. Maybe one of their classmates, maybe a professor, maybe another member of the campus. Keiji was right on the money with that phrase—whoever did this had no regard for human decency and knew damn well that not knowing what happened to someone was a hundred times worse than knowing they were dead. A twisted, sick kind of animalistic being was definitely behind it all. Bokuto sternly nodded his head in total agreement.

“You’re right…the most likely scenario is that someone tricked them. I guess that’s why it’s going to be so hard to figure out what happened to them—it could be anyone, and with no leads, I’m afraid we might never know where they were taken, _or_ who took them.”

“As it so happens, you’re talking to someone who lives in the house where one of your victims used to reside.” _That also makes me a witness, but who needs to know?_ “After their disappearance, of course.”

“What?! Are you serious?!”

“I am. If you’d like, you can come over when we’re done here and take a look around,” Akaashi offered kindly. “You know—to get a detective-feel around the place.”

“That would be amazing!” Bokuto cheered, getting scowls from other library inhabitants. “I would love to take a look around the neighborhood! You’ll really let me check things out?!”

“You _are_ studying to be a detective. What kind of tutor would I be if I didn’t encourage you to utilize your investigation skills?”

Koutarou directed a bright, proud grin at Akaashi, like he had never been so happy before. Keiji smiled back, and the pair dove into their studies together, mapping out the outline of Bokuto’s report while discussing the major details of the crime. There really wasn’t much of any evidence to include, but Akaashi assured him that the students’ current missing-status was enough. As Bokuto went over the entire case with his tutor, Keiji took his time admiring Koutarou’s athletic body, from the broadness of his wide shoulders to the turn of his wrists. Not to mention, the student’s exuberant energy and passion that made him even more attractive; between the wild hand gestures and jumping voice, there was never a dull moment beside Koutarou.

Other students were constantly looking over, distracted by the dazzling couple all the way in the back of the library. Keiji knew most of them didn’t need books in the Latin section or theology aisle. They were just trying to inch their way into Bokuto’s line of sight, which was done in vain, because his eyes only glanced between the papers in front of them and his tutor. Regardless of how his report turned out, Koutarou was certain he had just met the love of his life, and he was planning on using their time together to get to know Akaashi as much as possible. He had already been invited to his house after, and even though it was strictly business, Bokuto was excited. And his excitement made their investigation into the disappearances of the college students thought-provoking even to someone who had no interest in the social laws of humanity.

He really was the most breath-taking person Akaashi had _ever_ come across.

For hours and hours they worked together, managing to ignore all mindless conversation about up-coming Halloween parties and the inconsistencies of college dating that swarmed around them. At one point Bokuto had moved to the same side of the table as Keiji, only making him more aware of his delicious scent and warm body heat, which came off in enthralling waves. Although Akaashi had never felt such a powerful urge to be near someone, he was well-versed enough to keep his head and calmly aided Koutarou in his outline.

They only momentarily left each other’s side when the library closed, at which point they gathered all their materials, bundled-up in their scarves and departed. Akaashi was leading them, listening in interest as Bokuto continued to remark about their current street, how the initial investigation took place a few blocks down, where someone had thought they saw the original victim walking.

“It never did lead to anything, because you couldn’t see anyone from the angle of a nearby security camera,” Bokuto explained, pointing to the grocery store down the street. “There’s one theory that someone snatched the first victim, the boy studying history, when he was walking down this sidewalk to go get something to eat.”

“Plausible, I suppose. Did they know if he was meeting with someone? A friend, perhaps?”

“All of his classmates were accounted for, and none of them said anything about meeting with him. It’s the same with all the victims—they leave class for the day, go off campus, and then…nothing.”

“They disappear,” Akaashi finished, turning onto a path that led towards a tall house. “And there’s no current suspects for any of the cases?”

“Not a single one.”

“Could it be possible that they just ran away?”

“Possible, yes,” Koutarou shrugged, following Keiji up the front steps. “That would be more likely if there was only one victim. Since there’s _six_ , though, and they all attended the same school before going missing, that possibility doesn’t hold much weight anymore.”

For some reason, Akaashi smiled at Bokuto as he unlocked the front door, getting a tiny, embarrassed grin from Koutarou himself.

“…What is it?” He chuckled, wanting to look away but drawn-in by Keiji’s mesmerizing eyes. It was like a thousand galaxies existed in perfect harmony amongst their alluring blue color, and Bokuto couldn’t stop staring at their beauty. “Is there something on my face?”

“No. I was merely admiring how much passion you have for the truth,” Akaashi answered simply. When Bokuto didn’t reply (out of that modesty Keiji loved more and more with each passing second), he smiled again and opened the door for him. “After you.”

When Koutarou entered, he saw nothing out of the ordinary; after all, the first victim had disappeared over three-years ago, and subsequently his room had been sold off. Apparently Akaashi didn’t have a roommate, because no one stirred when they came inside, and the other rooms were quiet while Bokuto glanced around the main hall.

“It was nice of you to invite me here, Akaashi-san. I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re most welcome. Feel free to look around—I’m going to make us some tea.”

While Keiji went into the kitchen, Bokuto slowly made his way around the bottom floor of the building; the first thing he noticed was how _old_ the décor and furniture looked. Renting a house during college wasn’t cheap, but by the looks of the fancy rugs, dark oak coffee table and expensive-looking artifacts scattered around the living room, Keiji came from a family of money. Everything seemed to come from various vacations to European lands, or maybe from a period when Akaashi lived somewhere else with his family. It reminded him of medieval castles he read about in fairytales.

Past the living room was a longer hall leading to a staircase, and beside the staircase was two doors and a collection of dated photographs hung-up on the walls. The frames, too, seemed old and weathered, elegant twirls and accents worn over the years to resemble bronze more than gold—but what was most intriguing was the photos themselves. A majority of them were portraits of Akaashi’s grandparents, or even great-grandparents, given their fashion and the quality of the pictures…despite all these oddities, the one that really stole Koutarou’s attention was family portrait with a young man sitting in a chair in front of his parents.

There was nothing unusual about the pose—but the young man held an alarming resemblance to Akaashi himself, from the dark curls, pale skin, all the way to his lithe fingers and those unmistakable midnight blue eyes. It was almost shocking, how many of this man’s features had resurfaced in his modern relative.

“Wow,” Bokuto muttered to himself. “Akaashi really looks like his ancestors…”

After pondering over the pictures for a few more minutes, Koutarou came face to face with the door on the right side of the hall that was much different than its dark red counterpart on the left. This door hadn’t been painted at all, unable to hide its ugly chipped wood, its rusty door hinges and weak frame. It stood out to Bokuto because everything else in the house seemed so clean and fitting—why was there this one spot in the lower level that hadn’t been paid any attention to?

“Hey Akaashi?”

“Yes?” Keiji asked, emerging into the hall.

“If you don’t mind me asking…what’s behind this door?” He motioned.

Keiji’s eyes darted over to the grey door, and his expression changed for a second, though he didn’t seem displeased or offended. His eyebrows furrowed downwards, and his lips turned into a sad pout.

“Oh…that would be _his_ room,” Akaashi stressed.

“The first missing student, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“Do you mind if I…take a look? I mean, I don’t want to impose or be nosy, if you have your own things in there I _totally_ understand, but I ju—”

“That’s fine by me,” Keiji cut him off. “I brought you here to investigate, after all.”

Bokuto gave him a thankful smile and put his hand on the door, slowly turning the knob through its resistance and giving a little nudge; it opened just an inch, but Koutarou could already smell a thick, flowery scent that resembled a very strong perfume. Judging on the condition of the door, Bokuto guessed that Akaashi had boarded this room off to try and forget that he now lived where a missing student had once resided. There could still very well be evidence inside. Koutarou let this idea fuel his courage, and he pushed the door open more, reaching for a light switch, only for his hand to come up empty.

“Is there a light switch in here?” Bokuto called out to Akaashi.

“I’m not sure—I’ll get you a match.”

“Thanks.”

Koutarou opened the door completely, hoping that would help shed some light inside, but the room was just too dark. He inched his way inside, still holding onto the door’s frame while trying to get his eyes to adjust; there didn’t appear to be a lamp, or even a window with a few cracks of moonlight slipping in, and Bokuto stood in the dark for a long moment without being able to get his eyes adjusted to the blackness. That perfume scent was more powerful than ever, and it would have been a lot more pleasant if Koutarou knew where (or what) its source was.

Akaashi returned with a lit match, carefully handing it over to the other student; he crossed his arms and remained in the doorway, watching Bokuto carefully enter the mysterious room. The floor didn’t have carpet like the rest of the house, and Koutarou shuffled forward with caution just in case he ran into a bed or dresser.

“There’s a weird smell in here…did you put air fresheners in here or something?” He wondered.

“Not exactly,” Keiji laughed quietly.

The match didn’t provide much light, but Bokuto made it to the other side of the small room without running into anything. That strange scent was at its strongest, as if the object were right in front of Koutarou, and he squinted in the dark to try and get a glimpse. His shoe knocked into something floor-level. Using his detective skills, Bokuto slowly leaned down and held the match lower, seeing what appeared to be a wooden pole of some sort. Its wood was dark and tinted from an unidentified stain that got more vivid in color the higher the light moved…

“It looks like there’s some kind of beam right here. Ah—damnit!” Bokuto cursed when the match got down to his fingers, stinging his flesh. “Do you have another match?”

“It’s okay—I found the light switch,” Akaashi called from the doorway. “Prepare your eyes…”

The switch made a quiet noise, and the room was suddenly flooded with bright white light from above; Bokuto had to cover his eyes to recover from the sharp glow, blinking a few times before he lowered his arm and faced the wall again.

Six unrecognizable faces stared back at him.

The first two college students who went missing were tied to wooden crosses with wire, leaned against the wall like trophies; the next two were in the same positions, on Bokuto’s left, and the latest students were on his right. Their bodies were all in different states of composition, but it was unlike any crime scene Koutarou had ever seen through pictures before—because none of them were _dead_. Their eyes, as drained and as lifeless as they seemed, were still open and watching, drained of all color their pictures once held. Here they were, all six of them, stuck to these crude crosses completely nude, covered in a black liquid that resembled the texture of blood. Incense bottles were scattered around the floor, but whether they were to mask the rotting of flesh or to seduce, no one could say for sure.

Bokuto could only stand there, horrified, taking in every gruesome detail before him: the latest boy that went missing months ago had claw marks and bites covering his torso, throat and genitals, but instead of bleeding, only that black liquid had spilled from his body. And his body…it wasn’t a body any longer. It had no color, no hues, no running veins or consciousness. It was just hanging there, limp, pale, emaciated, used to its absolute limit like an abused racehorse. What kind of person was capable of such torture? What had they done to make him, make them _all_ so exsanguinated?

Every last one of them had the same wounds, the same bite marks that could only belong to some sort of appalling monster, an ancient vampire or demonic creature. They were all used like puppets, like defenseless animals used to feed a lake of bloodthirsty leeches. They were living corpses, kept alive only for a single purpose, though what that sick purpose could be, Bokuto had yet to realize. He could only mourn for them and fear for his own safety when he bolted around and saw Akaashi standing just a foot away. The door had been shut.

“It’s okay,” Akaashi soothed in a calm tone. It was the same tone he spoke in earlier, only now Bokuto could hear how _hungry_ it sounded. “You don’t have to be afraid, Bokuto-san…they were just animals for me to feed on.”

Bokuto tried to make a quick step past Keiji, but the incubus was faster, preventing the seventh student from escaping and smiling up at him with intent clear in his eyes.

“But they’re nothing compared to _you_.”

**Author's Note:**

> happy fucking early halloween, ghosts and ghouls xx  
> [my writing blog](https://www.troysghostwriters.com/my-blog)


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